The present invention relates to the field of digital image processing and, in particular, to a method and apparatus for creating animated font characters and fonts based on computer typefaces.
Recently, it has become popular to provide computer animated advertising, particularly in relation to Internet-based advertising. Such animated adverts typically include animated text as an attention-seeking tool to xe2x80x9ccatch xe2x80x9d the eye of a viewer. In an otherwise text-filled electronic document, animated text or animated images can provide a visually interesting embellishment that goes beyond coloured or textured characters.
Generally, animated text includes text or symbols (for example, kanji characters) which have the appearance of motion on a video screen. Examples of such animation include: moving text across a screen; flashing text characters on and off; and changing character size, colour or textual appearance.
At present, approaches to animated text require the creation of several key frames from which an animation sequence is achieved by interframe interpolation. Unfortunately, this approach is time consuming since the selected key frames must generally be supplied by a graphic designer, and is an approach much more suited to unconstrained animation such as computer generated xe2x80x9ccartoonsxe2x80x9d. In addition, the fonts used for such animated text are proprietary and are generally constructed for application specific tasks. Further, storing such animations on a frame by frame basis can consume relatively large amounts of transmission bandwidth and data storage space, which is undesirable.
Thus, it would be desirable if the animated text process could substantially be automated whilst still maintaining substantial artistic control over each character, thereby reducing the graphic designer""s workload. Further, it would also be desirable if the animated text process could use xe2x80x9coff the shelf xe2x80x9d (industry standard) typefaces as a basis for animated text characters.
In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of creating an animated font character based on an initial non-animated font character, the method including the steps of:
(a) providing a glyph representative of at least one aspect of the non-animated font character;
(b) applying a first predetermined function to the glyph, thereby to generate a modified glyph;
(c) providing a second predetermined function for generating an output dependent upon a value of a variable parameter, the variable parameter having an initial value, wherein a visual appearance of the modified glyph is based at least partly on the output of said second predetermined function;
(d) rendering said modified glyph;
(e) altering the value of the variable parameter;
(f) repeating steps (d) and (e), thereby to generate a plurality of rendered modified glyphs that together define an animated font character; and
(g) displaying the animated font character on a display or storing it in memory for subsequent reproduction.
In accordance with a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of creating an animated font character, the method including the steps of:
(a) providing a series of glyphs and a font structure, the series of glyphs and the font structure representing font characters;
(b) providing a predetermined function defining at least one characteristic feature of at least one of the glyphs or a part thereof, said predetermined function generating an output value based on at least one variable parameter having an initial value;
(c) rendering said font character in accordance with the output of the predetermined function;
(d) altering the value of said variable parameter;
(e) repeating steps (c) and (d), thereby to generate an animated sequence of rendered frames for the font character; and
(f) displaying the animated sequence on a display or storing it in memory for subsequent reproduction.
In accordance with a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of creating a computer animated font character comprising the steps of:
(a) providing a series of glyphs and a font structure representing font characters;
(b) providing a predetermined function describing at least one characteristic feature of part or all the glyph, wherein said predetermined function has at least one variable parameter;
(c) rendering said font character in accordance with the predetermined function;
(d) altering said variable parameter; and
(e) repeating steps (c) and (d) to provide an animated sequence for the font character.
In a fourth aspect, the present invention provides a computer apparatus programmed with software instructions for implementing an embodiment of the present invention.
In a fifth aspect, the present invention provides a computer storage medium bearing instructions, in compiled or uncompiled form, for implementing an embodiment of the present invention.